Bernice Sebastian, one of the oldest living residents of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, celebrated her 111th birthday on September 21st. Her birthday was first reported by the Times Caribbean Online.
Sebastian was born in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis (then part of the United Kingdom), on 21 September 1913, as the first of twelve children born to Joseph Matthew Sebastian (1891–1944) and Inez Veronica Hodge. Her father was a Caribbean trade union leader and politician. From her father, she had several younger half-siblings.
At the age of 15, she earned the Moravian Scholarship, which allowed her to attend the Teachers’ Training College in Antigua for a duration of two years. Sebastian never married nor had children. From 1932 to 1941, she served as an assistant teacher at the Basseterre Boys’ School. In 1941, she assumed the role of Headmistress at the Dieppe Bay Infant (Primary) School. When she began her tenure, the school had only three classes. She continued to lead the school for 25 years until her transfer to Irish Town School, where she stayed until her retirement in September 1969.
In 1995, Bernice’s brother, Cuthbert Sebastian, was appointed Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
In September 2023, she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming the second validated supercentenarian born in Saint Kitts and Nevis, after Rosalind Hill (1899–2010). She eventually surpassed Hill’s final age, becoming the nation’s validated longevity record holder.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Bernice Sebastian on her 111th birthday.
